Borges intends to use his MPP degree to make international development more inclusive.
Headshot of Carlos Borges
Carlos Borges

The abundance of data at our fingertips has opened new windows into the underpinnings of how the world works. But data, argues Carlos Borges, MPP class of 2022, cannot be analyzed in a vacuum. “Data can be dubious because it cannot tell the story of the humans and places behind that data. I want to make sure data includes those stories and is more empathetic. At its best, data can be used to make international development more inclusive and reduce suffering around the world.”

Borges’ path of social and political engagement began in 2009 when he worked at Rio Como Vamos, a social accountability network in Rio de Janeiro. And after earning his AlB cum laude in the field of Economics with a citation in Government from Harvard in 2014, he returned to Rio Como Vamos, where he worked to increase transparency in local government and helped voters monitor Rio’s efforts to prepare for the Summer Olympics by creating sustainability metrics to reform its transportation systems.

Borges subsequently represented Rio Como Vamos in Brazil’s delegation to the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference. “I was proud that Brazil incorporated all Brazilians—from the National Movement of Waste Pickers to elected representatives and corporate leaders—to determine what policies would be best for the country. When the Brazilian coalition met, they did so as a crowd since so many people’s voices were contributing,” he said. “Inclusivity is not just about bringing in people from disparaged backgrounds but, at a global level, making sure everyone is at the table when decisions that might affect them, directly or indirectly, are being made. Anyone willing to make a contribution towards a goal should have the opportunity to be heard.”

After the Conference, Borges worked at the World Bank Group on climate finance. As a consultant in 2016, and then as a full-time staff by 2017 at the President’s Office, Borges said he has had many opportunities to move the needle on measuring social impact. “While at the World Bank, I’ve had the opportunity to work on digitization of the World Bank Group’s Corporate Scorecard to measure our climate co-benefits targets or how well the Bank has crowded-in private sector funding for international development projects.”

Although currently on medical leave, Borges wanted to continue building his skills while recovering. After his Graduate Fellowship while at the Bank gave him a Masters of Science in Statistics from George Washington University in 2018, Borges thought he would pursue a PhD until the University of Chicago's Master of Public Policy (MPP) program caught his attention.

“I was attracted to Harris because of its deep commitment to academic freedom and its data-driven and multidisciplinary approach,” Borges said. “That emphasis is what sealed the deal for me. Wherever the data takes you is the answer to whatever hypothesis you have. It’s not about torturing the data to get the answers you want. It’s about understanding what is out there to get the truth you need.”

So far, Borges said his classes have displayed that emphasis, with his Contemporary U.S. Intelligence course taught by Rep. Michael Quigley (D-IL) standing out. “Thanks to his background as a trial attorney, Professor Quigley was unafraid to put American Democracy on trial for intelligence blunders, leadership failures, and partisanship. By the same token, he was clear and up-front about his views while holding a bridge to diverse perspectives.”

Borges also had the opportunity to work in international public law with University of Chicago Law School Professor Tom Ginsburg to study how we should tax the internet in way that reduces global inequality. “We have been working on a comment to the OECD digital service taxation blueprint to remit all non-geographically attributable revenue from digital services taxes (i.e. ‘internet taxes’ with no clear jurisdiction) into a ‘Trust Fund for Humanity’ that could be used to reduce the digital divide.”

After earning his degree, Borges says he plans to continue working on substantive international agreements. “I want to implement strategic ideas on ways to make international development more inclusive.”